Activist wants BMA officials investigated
PUBLISHED : 5 Aug 2023 at 07:40
Whistleblower Srisuwan Janya on Friday filed a letter with the Bangkok governor requesting that he investigate the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials involved in granting permits for the Ashton Asoke project.
In his letter, he mentioned that four permits had been issued by the BMA between 2015-2017.
Since the Supreme Administrative Court retroactively revoked Ashton Asoke’s construction permit over substandard access to the main road, all BMA officials involved in the issuance must face legal consequences, Mr Srisuwan said.
Ashton Asoke’s main entrance is connected to Asoke Road. However, part of the entrance belongs to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which expropriated the land to build the entrance to an underground train station right on the project’s doorstep.
As a result, the court decided last week that the project fails to meet requirements concerning access, particularly during emergencies, and revoked its permit.
Mr Srisuwan claimed that the condominium developer, Ananda Development Plc, might propose an amendment to those criteria and related laws via the BMA’s Bureau of Public Works and the Interior Ministry’s Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning.
“Such an attempt would be an abuse of power for the benefit of a private company.
If the attempt by the developer goes ahead, he said he would file more reports with the National Anti-Corruption Commission or the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.
Meanwhile, lawyer Pisut Rakwongthe — who represents the tenants of the condominium — gave developer Ananda MF Asia Asoke Co a week to act on his clients’ complaints, or a criminal lawsuit would be launched seeking compensation stemming from the developer’s abandonment of the tenants.